308 THE PINE-APPLE. 



" Spotless as snow, and countless as they're fair, 

 Scattered immensely wide from east to west, 

 The beauteous semblance of a flock at rest." 



On looking upwards I observed a large detachment of Gulls wheeling in large 

 circles, and as they wheeled they were slowly swinging onwards to the sea. 

 Watching them for ten minutes they ceased flying in circles, and arranged them- 

 selves in the figure of a ~Z^^ an( ^» slowly waveing their 



wings, were soon lost to my sight ; but another detachment had arrived over my 

 head, and breaking up their straight flight, commenced the beautiful figure of 

 soaring in circles. After a short time they followed the example of their com- 

 panions, and vanished in the distance. I watched four successive flocks, and 

 each went through the same manoeuvre. There was a gentle current of air 

 where these birds were flying, from the south-west, and it struck me that the 

 flight in a line was upon an inclined plane, the birds (if I may so express it) 

 were sliding onwards, and consequently falling towards the earth. On arriving 

 at certain points of their journey, they arose by circling in the air, and the course 

 of their flight may be represented by this diagram. 



1, 3, 5 inclined plane 2,4, 6 figures described by raising themselves in circles to a higher point. 



Should this suggestion be worthy of your consideration, you will oblige me by 

 its insertion ; and I will endeavour to procure you some more observations 

 which now and then fall under my notice. 



Maidstone, July 8, 1837. 



The Pine Apple. — It has been discovered that the leaf of the Pine apple 

 possesses a fibre which gives every promise of being a valuable article both in 

 manufacture and commerce. It far exceeds other threads in strength and fine- 

 ness, and possesses the valuable quality of receiving and retaining dye, while 

 colouring matter invariable peels off flax. The cost of rearing this plant in 

 the West Indies (no idea is entertained of making it an English article) is so 

 very small, that the fibre could be delivered in Englanfl, at the expense of 4d. 

 per lb., of course exclusively of duty ; while from two to three acres of land are 

 sufficient to yield a ton of the fibre. — Brighton Herald. 



